Respighi, Berlioz, Vaughan Williams, and the world première of Michael Pringsheim’s Eichendorff Liederkreis Four passionate song cycles at Cadogan Hall CyclesTuesday 16th September 7.30pm London Lyric Opera Cycles at Cadogan Hall Tuesday 16 September at 7.30pm Madeleine Lovell: Conductor St George’s Chamber Orchestra Katherine Broderick: Soprano Julietta Demetriades: Soprano Anando Mukerjee: Tenor James Hancock: Baritone Programme: Mendelssohn: Die schöne Melusine Overture, op. 32 Respighi: Deità silvane, P.147 Berlioz: Les nuits d’été, Op.7 Michael Pringsheim: Eichendorff Liederkreis (world première) Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel (orch. RVW and Roy Douglas) Sponsored by Wardour London Lyric Opera A message from our Patron by Isla Baring Welcome to London Lyric Opera’s Cycles. Our next concert is Richard Wagner’s I would like to personally thank the The idea for tonight’s concert came from masterpiece, The flying Dutchman, at the following for their contributions: Madeleine Michael Pringsheim, composer of the Barbican on Thursday 27th November at Lovell, for her informative notes on the Eichendorff Liederkreis. As he says later in 7.00pm. Our principal conductor, one of music; Dr Leo Mellor for his fascinating this programme, he was inspired to write the UK’s most distinguished Wagnerians, exploration of the poetry that inspired his music by the works for soprano and Lionel Friend, will conduct the Royal tonight’s composers; David Cairns CBE, We orchestra written by Richard Strauss. His Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia a world authority on Berlioz, for his article muse has been the young Greek soprano Chorus of 100 voices and a stunning cast about Les nuits d’été; Dr William Wootten Julietta Demetriades, who will be singing of international soloists including the rising for his engaging article about the Songs celebrate tonight, and of course the Eichendorff star soprano Gweneth-Ann Jeffers making of Travel and Michael Pringsheim for poems. To complement the world première her role debut as Senta, James Hancock his delightful note about his work and of his new cycle, we will explore the rich singing the Holländer and Jeffrey Lloyd- life. Renowned critic and broadcaster, Romanticism of Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été, Roberts as the spurned lover, Erik. Uncut John Amis will entertain you before the life through the mystical sincerity of Vaughan Williams’ and in the original keys, this is a must-see performance with a pre-performance Songs of Travel and the evanescent for any admirer of this great composer. talk that should put you in the mood for colours of Respighi’s Deità silvane. On February 17th 2009, LLO is back at an evening of orchestral song. music Conducted by the brilliant Madeleine Cadogan Hall performing Beethoven’s We have almost finished our planning Lovell, with the St George’s Chamber Fidelio. Starring critically acclaimed for the 2009/10 season. To be kept Orchestra, the programme is completed dramatic soprano Elizabeth Connell as up to date with future events, please with two purely orchestral narratives – Leonore and Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts as send your contact details to info@ Mendelssohn’s evocation of the legendary Florestan, this performance promises to londonlyricopera.com and we will happily Melusine and Ravel’s Pavane. be an unforgettable evening. Madeleine keep you informed. Lovell will return to conduct the RPO and We have been fortunate to find four singers Philharmonia Chorus. I hope you enjoy tonight’s who can share these great works with you. performance and look forward to Anando Mukerjee, tenor, will be singing It is my pleasure to be Patron of London seeing you at The flying Dutchman at the rarely performed Deità silvane by Lyric Opera in this its first year. It is an the Barbican. Ottorino Respighi; Kathleen Ferrier Award exciting time for us all but impossible winner, Katherine Broderick, soprano, without your support. Opera is an will present Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été and expensive and labour intensive business. James Hancock, baritone, sings Vaughan LLO has various levels of sponsorship William’s Songs of Travel. This being the available plus a Friends scheme that offers 50th anniversary of the passing of this great an opportunity for individuals to contribute Isla Baring English composer, we celebrate his life and to our work. More information about this Patron works through his music. can be found later in this programme. I London Lyric Opera would like to make special mention here of LLO is a new concert opera company Wardour , one of our key sponsors. Led by performing at Cadogan Hall and the CEO Martin MacConnol, Wardour’s Design Barbican. Our focus is the under- Director, Lisa Cromer and her brilliant team performed German and English repertory of designers have been instrumental in and we will produce an annual concert getting LLO here tonight. dedicated to orchestral song. Our commitment to you, our audience, is that we will never offer reduced orchestrations and will always aim for the highest possible musical standards. London Lyric Opera ESSAY Music and Stories by Madeleine Lovell Felix Mendelssohn (1809-18) opening passage is the embodiment of quickly as the text’s images change – the Hector Berlioz (180-189) Overture Die schöne Melusine (1834) calm waters – in constant motion and yet murmuring of the rivers, the irresistible Les nuits d’été, Op.7 (1840-41, static – and it provides the perfect foil for energy of the fauns, the lascivious zephyrs orchestrated 1843-56) The overture Die schöne Melusine (The the dramatic, pulsating second section. – so Respighi responds in his setting. i Villanelle Beautiful Melusine) has a significant The prevailing musical motive, however, ii Le spectre de la rose position in Mendelssohn’s compositional is a tightly dotted pentatonic figure – a iii Sur les lagunes: Lamento development: it is his last major example Ottorino Respighi (189-19) nod to the musical antiquity of the French iv Absence of an instrumental work inspired by a Deità silvane (1917, orchestrated 1925) Baroque, and a fitting accompaniment for v Au cimetière story or programme. The lukewarm critical I fauni this classical tableau. The fauns’ jesting vi L’île inconnue response to Melusine, reinforced by the Musica in horto pursuit and the nymphs’ escape is expertly ambivalent reaction of Felix’s sister Fanny, Egle constructed with the accelerating dotted Les nuits d’été began life in 1840-41 as perhaps convinced Mendelssohn to Acqua motive breaking into a gallop, propelling a cycle for voice and piano. The poems turn to other areas of composition. The Crepuscolo the song to its ecstatic climax. are from a collection of 1838 by Berlioz’s composer’s frustration with the overture’s friend and fellow critic Théophile Gautier cool reception was surely heightened by Best known for his Roman trilogy of The sound of clashing finger cymbals (one is (1811-72) titled La Comédie de la mort. his own knowledge that it was one of his orchestral works, Ottorino Respighi was a reminded here of the cymbales antiques of From the poésies diverses in the second finest works, every bit the equal of his musician and scholar of wide interests and another Arcadian work – Debussy’s Prélude half of the volume Berlioz selected six earlier masterpiece, the Hebrides Overture. impressive training. He began his studies à l’après-midi d’un faune) permeates poems for setting to music, giving the with the violin and viola in his native Musica in horto. While in Egle the nymph’s collection his own title, Summer Nights. The original French legend tells of Bologna under the tutelage of Federico languid steps are conjured in exquisite sound We don’t know why he composed them Melusine, the daughter of a fairy, who Sarti, but composition soon became a with a sinuous waltz melody played by flute. or for whom – evidently they weren’t marries Raymondin on the condition that vital channel for Respighi’s artistry. Having The continual motion of the water is evoked written on commission or for any specific he never look at her on Saturdays, for completed his studies in 1899, he went in Acqua by means of a rocking ostinato occasion. Unlike Berlioz’s best-known and it is on this day each week that she is the following year to St. Petersburg as scored initially for the xylophone and horn most characteristic compositions, these transformed into a serpent from the hips principal viola player at the Imperial opera. – an inspired coupling. are private, even personal works, and down. Eventually Raymondin succumbs It was in Russia, where he spent the he seemed reluctant to put them in the to curiosity and breaks his promise. seasons of 1901-1902 and 1903-1904, It is only in Crepuscolo that the cyclical public spotlight. On seeing Melusine transformed into a that he took lessons in composition and nature of Deità silvane is fully revealed. The serpent, she disappears for ever. orchestration from Rimsky-Korsakov. In sombre twilight is conveyed by a slowly It was for his mistress, Marie Recio, that spite of Respighi’s growing reputation as shifting opening in the extraordinarily dark Berlioz first orchestrated one of the Gautier The version which inspired Mendelssohn’s a performer he maintained his interest in key of E flat minor. At the discovery of songs, Absence, which she introduced overture, an operatic setting by Conradin earlier music and in composition. the slumbering Pan, however, the fauns’ in Dresden in February 1843 while the Kreutzer which Felix saw (and hated) in neo-classical dotted motive returns, and as couple were engaged in a grand concert 1833, portrays Melusine as more mermaid As a musicologist with a keen interest thoughts turn to the nymph who might one tour.